AN AFRICAN QUEEN
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ydia Dean Pilcher and John B. Carls’ collaboration on Queen of Katwe—in keeping with their careers to this point—starts with the idea that they’re not the last generation to be living with media or the last generation to be living on this planet. Queen of Katwe was conceived from the first as a film for the future, for a rising generation to see themselves in and understand that they have the power to change the world. Queen of Katwe, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released by Disney in September, is the story of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), a young Ugandan girl raised in the slums of Katwe by her mother Nakku Harriet (Lupita Nyong’o). Phiona fatefully crosses paths with Robert Katende (David Oyelowo), an engineer by training and a church youth counselor by profession. Katende is teaching the children of Katwe to play chess, in the hopes of expanding their horizons. Phiona quickly proves to be a natural and begins to rocket toward international attention, which forces her to confront her own perceptions of the limits of her world. Carls got his start in a producing partnership with Maurice Sendak, ultimately leading to a collaboration on Where The Wild Things Are. About five years ago, he was looking to do the kind of sports story that would “restore your faith in humanity.” The story of Phiona and her chess skills came his way from North Carolina businessman Trey Budder, who like Robert Katende, was a supporter of sports outreach ministry. As Carls started the process of securing the rights, ESPN discovered the story, ultimately publishing The Queen of Katwe first as an article and then a full-length book by Tim Crothers. “I didn’t even have to do my “producing thing,” beams Carls; Disney reached out and joined forces in a case of fortunate parallel thinking. Queen of Katwe is a film about understanding and unlocking unrealized potential. “As a producer,” Carls says, “I’ve often wondered if [not understanding our potential] is holding us back.” He’s intrigued by people like Robert Katende, with whom he worked extensively throughout the production. Carls doesn’t skimp in his admiration for the people who “are going out to these hostile environments ... and transforming lives.” Phiona is a “great success story that comes out of that kind of environment.” If all kids were given a chance, he muses, “It would be remarkable to see how much difference could be made.” Working in his favor is the openness of the young minds among the film’s viewers. Telling this story in the family space gives them,
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